Lady&#39;s garment



Nov. 21, 1950 A. LlCHT 2,539,829

LADYS GARMENT Filed Feb. 11, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Anna Lie/L5 ATTORNEYS re-4m INVENTOR v A 21 na. v1 zk iz; Z1

$5M wz ATTORN 5Y5 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A LICHT LADYS GARMENT Nov. 21, 1950 Filed Feb. 11, 1947 A. LICHT LADYS GARMENT Nov. 21, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb.

INVENTOR Anna Lckz? ATTORNEYS F17 Patented Nov. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

- and to ladies garments generally that include breast cups and which are designated by me as brassiere type garments.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a combination brassiere type garment which is inherently form fitting, which afiords adequate support for the bust and without discomfort and which at the option of the wearer may be sup ported by a strap in one setting thereof and be Worn strapless in another setting thereof.

Another object is to provide a brace structure for a brassiere type garment which though of adequate stiffness for the desired purpose, affords a soft area of engagement with the body without undue bulk.

Another object is to provide a ladys garment which consists of or comprises a skirt of woven fabric, which skirt though devoid of excess material, such as pleats or the like, yet inherently adapts itself to the form of the wearer without looseness, wrinkling or displacement.

Another object is to provide a unitary garment constituting a combination slip and brassiere in which the brassiere element affords the various advantages of a well designed brassiere including adequate support without undue pressure and in which the skirt portion is inherently form fitting to a wide variety of different figures.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various embodiments of the several features 'of the invention Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a combination brassiere and slip type of garment in wear, as viewed from the front,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l as viewed laterally from the rear,

Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal cross-section on a larger scale of the inner side of the brassiere element of Fig. l with parts broken away,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the garment in its strapless setting,

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on a larger scale taken on line E5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary rear view of the garment showing the detail of the brassiere fastening construction,

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the skirt element is made,

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the two blanks from which the brassire element is made.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one embodiment of the breast cup element viewed from the inside,

- Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on a larger scale taken on line lllil of Fig. 9,

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of one embodiment of brace element,

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 of another embodiment of brace element,

Fig. 13 is a rear view showing a modified form of brassiere construction, and

Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13 of an alternative embodiment taken from the side.

Referring now to the drawings, the combination slip and brassiere preferably comprises a unitary garment including a brassiere portion l 5 to the lower edge of which is permanently stitched the skirt portion I! as by line of stitching iii. The brassiere portion is releasably secured about the body by releasable fasteners along abutting rear edges of brassiere bands l8. The skirt portion ll which hangs from the brassiere is cleft to a point well below the waist, as best shown at It in Figs. 2 and 5.

The brassiere element is desirably made from two blanks 2c of the general shape shown in Fig. 8, cut from woven fabric, the band portion [8 thereof being at the narrow portion at the right of Fig. 8 and the wider portion 2| toward the left having a deep notch 22 in its lower edge, the edges of which are stitched together as at 23 to form a breast cup.

As shown in the drawings, the brassiere blank is cut from the woven fabric with the warp or weft extending as shown generally lengthwise of the band portion, to be substantially non-extensible lengthwise thereof. The warp and weft respectively extend generally in the direction of the edges of notch 22 so that the length and width of the wider portion 2| of the blank is in effect bias cut for longitudinal and transverse extensibility thereof. The brassiere is formed by stitching together two of the blanks, of Fig. 9, along the upright 24 of the edge of the blank to form the seam 25.

Accordingly, the garment is substantially nonextensible along the line of said seam 25 and is also substantially non-extensible along the lengths of the bands l8, but is extensible longitudinally and transversely at various parts of the cup other than the seam 23 to assure adaptation to the form, but with complete comfort.

As customary with brassieres, the structure described has a lining 26 stitched in place as at 21 about the periphery thereof.

Stitched along the generally circular rim of each of the breast cups, are the edges of an arouerably extends through an arc of about 180 de-- That brace may be substantially of the:-

grees. construction of those shown in my prior patent,

Reissue No. 22,771 of July 16, 1946. Illustratively' there is shown in Fig. 3 theswire embodiment of the brace of said prior patent, which need be described but briefly. it may comprise, a pair of nested arcuate lengths of wire 32 and 33 connected in a closed flat loop by hairpin turns 35 at opposite ends thereof, the continuous length of wire being welded together near the one end thereof, as for instance atlit'a.

In. the setting of the wire shown in Fig. 3, in which the same extends in the sheath substantially along the lower portion thereof, the garment requires shoulder straps 35, which may be of conventional form stitched as. at Bl to the rear of the brassiere' at its upper end and releasably connected, as for instance by means of a button hole 38 at its free end attached to a button 39 at the inner surface of the upper edge of each of the breast cups.

By reason of the much greater arcuate length of the sheath as compared with that of the braces, the latter may be shifted around in the sheath to the. position shown in Fig; 4, in. which the braces desirably extend clear to the'respec=- tive closed ends 38 of the sheaths: and along the inner or adjacent sides of the respective cups. Since the brace in this relation extends over" the rotundity of the breast, the. garment is well sup ported without the need for shoulder straps. In that setting, the shoulder strap 3% wouldv of course be allowed to hang. idly from within the rear of the garment. mits of alternative settings, either for the usual shoulder strap wear or for strapless wear.

In the embodiment of Figs. 9 and 10, thesheath .9 is shown of plush to afford a padded efiect against the body by reason of which it is possible to use a single run of wire brace Ali, preferably completely embedded from end to end in a heavy plastic covering which'inay, if desired, be. of rubber, natural or synthetic, or of other plastic.

In Figs. 11 and 12 are shown other alternative forms of braces. These'are both in the form of bands of width considerably greater than their thicknesses-so as to afford a considerable area of contact against the body and, to dispense with the need even of'rudim-entarypadding, such as the plush sheath of Figs. 9 and 10'. Each brace embeds stiffener means, desirably of metal, affording gaps or openings across which the embedding plastic body extends.

Inthe embodiment of Fig. 11, thebrace comprises a multiplicity of arcuate wire lengths retainedin spaced parallel relation by'ccmpl tel'y embedding. the same in the structure 15 5 of plastic, preferably of synthetic rubber of the type thatis perspiration-resistant. The wire lengths 43 may be deformed along any desiredi'curvature, both along the: length thereof foradaptatiorr to the'scurvature of .the breast and 'fordisplacemen-t out of the plane of the sheath for adaptation to Thus, the garment adthe transverse curvature of the wearers body, the brace having sufficient stiffness to maintain its setting. As shown in Fig. 11, the molded body of the brace may be thickened at its edges to provide ribs 45 thereat, if desired, for greater security of anchorage to the body, although this expedient is not ordinarily necessary.

In the alternative embodiment of. Fig. 12, the plastic body is shown fiat-sided'insteadof ribbed and the completely embedded stiffener in this case is a thin arcuate blank of sheet metal 46 having a multiplicity of perforations 41 therethrough, through which perforations the plastic 18 is molded for secure anchorage thereof.

Itwill' be understood that the embodiments of Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12 replace the brace shown in Figs. 3- and 4 and may otherwise be used substantially in the same manner as the simple wire brace of my prior patent aboveidentified. Obviously, the brace in each of its embodiments is readily removable from the garment to permit laundering and may as readily be reinserted.

The brassiere element of the garment desirably is constructed to permit use of one and the same garment by wearers of slightly different size and shape. To this, end, one line of eyes 59 may be mounted at the edge of the main structure of the band l8and asecond line of eyes 51 is mounted at the edge of an auxiliary strip 52 stitched to the garment and extending along the length of its edge, and in the combined slip embodiment clear down the entire length of the cleft to the point is in Fig. 5 to be engaged by a line of hooks 9 at the other edge of the garment.

Of course, the fastener might be of the zipper or hookless type instead of the form specifically shown, although the zipper type of fastenerwould preferably be used single and not as a double line of fasteners, such as the hook and eye type just described.

If desired, the brassire garment or element may present a gore 53 0f elastic which may flare upwardly from the waist line 6 to the upper edge and may either be interposed as shown in Fig. 13, between the eye-bearing strip 54 and the main length of brassiere band l8 at one end thereof or, as shown in Fig. 14:, two of said 'gores 55 may be disposed one at each side of the garment under the arm pits. Thus, while the brassiere or brassiere type garment presents the necessar longitudinal resistance to stretching along the length of the bands and the necessary yield at the breast cups, it still admits of adaptation (whether the hook and eye or zipper type of fastener be used) to wearers of somewhat different size and shape by reason of the elastic gores of Figs. 13 or 14 or of both the alternative lines Stand 5| of fasteners and the gore or gores.

It will be understood that the structure set forth may be used not only in brassires as such, but in any brassiere type of garment, that is, in any ladies garment that includes breast cups. Such brassiere type of garment would include not only brassires as such, but among others, combination brassieres and slips, evening dress liners, play suits and bathing suits.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1,2, 6 and '7 is shown the-skirt element of the combination brassiere and slip. That skirt element according to the present embodiment is preferably cut from a single blank of woven fabric. That blank as shown in Fig. '7 is a sector '56 of an annulus and preferably a quadrant sector, as shown, in which the lateral edge 5'! extends substantially along one line of weave illustratively along the warp, while the opposite edge 58 at right angles thereto extends substantially along the other line of weave, illustratively the weft. In the finished garment, the edges 51 and 58 are stitched together to form the rear seam 59 which extends from the lower hem 68 to the point [9 of the cleft below the breast line, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

By the arrangement shown, the main length and width of the skirt portion extends along the bias of the woven fabric, while the rear vertical seam 59 extends on the straight out. Therefore, it is clear that the skirt except for its rear seam, will have the yield of a bias cut fabric, both longitudinally and circumferentially thereof, the longitudinal or vertical extensibility being a maximum at the front and sides of the garment and being less near the seam 59 at the rear mid-section of the garment. Similarly, the garment is readily extensible circumferentially or transversely by reason of the bias relation of the weave so that the garment is correctly formfitting at the hips and thighs. The skirt portion though devoid of excess material such as pleats or the like, yet is inherently form fitting and without looseness, wrinkling or displacement.

In a preferred embodiment shown, the fabric of the skirt portion l1 extends to a peak 6| at the top of the mid-section of its front to conform to the corresponding shape of the lower edge of the brassiere portion I5, and though these elements are firmly stitched together, the stitch [6 yet admits of transverse yield at this region by blunting or flattening out of the angle of said peak 6| under tension along the waist line.

Though the skirt portion, as described, has been shown as part of a combination brassiere and slip, it will be understood that thestructure of skirt, as described, is also useful, wholly apart from any brassire combination, for petticoats, night gowns and other undergarments.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A garment comprising a brassire element having breast cups, sheaths about the rims of the respective breast cups, each extending through an arc in the order of 300 degrees, leaving clear the region nearest the armpit, each sheath having a closed end and an open end, arcuate braces, each extending through an angle in the order of degrees, whereby the braces may be positioned at will either along the lower parts of the respective sheaths for a strap type garment or from the upper parts of the respective sheaths along the inner or adjacent portions of the sheaths for a strapless type of garment.

2. The combination recited in claim 1, in which the garment has straps afiixed to the rear portions of the upper edges thereof and releasable fasteners to the front portions thereof, said straps bein allowed to depend unused within the garment in the setting of the braces for strapless use.

ANNA LICHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,771 Licht July 16, 1946 896,022 Janowitz Aug. 11, 1908 1,466,598 Panes Aug. 28, 1923 1,798,274 Pons Mar. 31, 1931 1,971,113 Maier Aug. 21, 1934 2,271,749 Strohmeier et al. Feb. 3, 1942 2,310,855 Manson Feb. 9, 1943 2,383,804 Kaunitz Aug. 28, 1945 

